State Sen. Judy Schwank joined representatives of Friend, Inc. Community Services and the Greater Berks Development Fund in Kutztown on Friday, October 9, to highlight $800,000 in state grant funding that will support the continued renovation and expansion of the nonprofit organization’s new food pantry and social services center.
The funding, awarded through Pennsylvania’s Local Share Account program, will help complete the second phase of renovations at the organization’s new permanent location at 60 Bieber Alley. The project is intended to expand access to food assistance, educational programming and other essential services for residents of northeastern Berks County.
Friend, Inc. Executive Director Jim Reece said the organization purchased the building in August 2025 as part of a larger effort to expand its services and make them more accessible to the community.
Renovations began in February, and the first phase of the project, which included the food pantry, opened in early September.
“A year ago, the board made a decision to make it more accessible, to grow it up, to give ourselves more of a platform to expand the programs to meet the growing needs of the community,” Reece said.
The second phase of construction is expected to begin in November and will focus on renovating the front portion of the building. Plans include a teaching kitchen, workshop space and additional areas for outside organizations to provide services directly to local residents.
Reece said the goal is to create a centralized location where families can access resources without traveling outside the Kutztown area.
“We want people to be able to come here, not have to go to Allentown or Reading to get the services that their families deserve,” he said.
During Friday’s announcement, Schwank emphasized the importance of bringing services closer to residents in rural communities, where transportation and access to resources can present challenges.
“Having services closer to home makes a tremendous difference,” Schwank said. “Support needs to feel local so people feel comfortable and accessible, and that makes the biggest impact.”
Schwank said the $800,000 grant will help create office space for organizations providing additional assistance, including Family Guidance Center and Maternal and Family Health Services, which administers the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program in Berks County.
She also discussed the possibility of bringing additional state-supported programs to the facility, including fraud prevention education and a memory care café designed to provide social opportunities for people affected by dementia and their families.
“We know there’s a need for these programs here,” Schwank said.
The senator described the Local Share Account program as an important funding source for community organizations, noting that competition for grants is significant.
“There’s lots of applications, lots of folks would love to have this because there’s lots of people doing good things,” Schwank said. “But Friend Inc. stood heads and shoulders above the rest in terms of qualifying for it.”
Deb Millman, president of the Greater Berks Development Fund, explained that her organization served as the applicant for the grant because nonprofits such as Friend, Inc. cannot apply directly for the funding.
The Greater Berks Development Fund, which serves as a certified development organization for Berks County, has previously worked with Schwank to secure two Local Share Account grants for the Kutztown Strand.
Millman said Berks County became eligible for additional Local Share Account funding opportunities following the opening of the casino in Morgantown.
“They really have helped a tremendous amount of projects and organizations that really would not have been able to receive funding for these types of projects,” Millman said.
She added that the Greater Berks Development Fund intends to continue working with organizations throughout the county to pursue similar funding opportunities.
In addition to the state grant, Reece announced that Friend, Inc. had received a $5,000 grant from Santander Bank, which will support digital and financial literacy initiatives and other programming.
Reece also recognized several businesses involved in the building’s renovation, including Fleetwood Bank, DESCCO Design and Construction, Moyer and Wentzle Electric.
Schwank praised the organization’s longstanding role in the community and said the expanded facility would help it reach additional residents.
“Friend Inc. has been a quiet, steady presence in this community for decades, and this new home will help them do even more good for even more people,” she said.
Following the announcement, Schwank and other attendees toured the renovated facility to see the completed food pantry and learn more about the planned expansion.